


Experiment

by Shadadukal



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-31
Updated: 2010-12-31
Packaged: 2017-10-14 06:32:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadadukal/pseuds/Shadadukal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Helen's curiosity about all things abnormal extends to vampires. James thinks experimenting with Nikola isn't such a good idea.<br/>Set in the 1930s.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Experiment

**Author's Note:**

> I just love setting fics with the Three between the two World Wars. I'm sure they were up to wondrous things back then.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Her father had always said she was too curious. And it had never been so obvious, James Watson mused as he contemplated the situation before him.

Nikola was still arguing, gesticulating in front of Helen. James himself had already given up. Once Helen got something into her head, there was no changing her mind. Now he wondered how long she had been thinking of asking Nikola to bite her as part of an experiment to learn more about vampire feeding. And of course, she would want to be the one to be bitten while James observed. He rather thought that if Nikola said he would lose control, Helen ought to heed him.

James had already indicated he would shoot Tesla if the Serbian scientist lost control but Nikola was still refusing to bite Helen. If the situation wasn't so potentially dangerous, it would have been almost amusing, and James had to admit he was impressed at Nikola's continued arguing. He had noticed the slight bulge in the half-vampire's trousers, clear indication of Nikola's rising bloodlust at the mere mention of tasting Helen

"You don't know what you're asking, Helen! Even if by some miracle I don't lose control, you'd still end up with a severely bleeding wound."

"Then bite me someplace where there is no major artery."

"And it probably won't scar nicely."

"Then bite me someplace that is very unlikely to be seen."

"I made a vow to not feed on humans."

"Taking only a little blood isn't really feeding."

And there they went again, going round in circles.

***

He wanted to, he really wanted to. What Helen was doing to him was pure torture. One drop of her blood on his tongue and surely his medication would be powerless to stop the resulting bloodlust.

Nikola briefly glanced at James, seeking help in his desperation. Watson patted the gun at his side in response. Right, bite Helen and then hope James would be fast enough if he lost it. Brilliant plan!

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair, making it stand on end.

"Fine, I'll do it."

Helen beamed.

"Thank you, Nikola!"

"Thank me when I don't kill you. James, can you check that the gun is properly loaded?"

"Done," Watson replied instantly.

Helen sat down on a chair and took off her right shoe.

"Helen?"

"There's no risk of my bleeding to death if you bite me on the foot. Just bite me on the inside curve, and avoid the pressure points."

"Of course."

"Helen," James began. "I beg you to reconsider."

"No, James. I'm determined to go through with this."

"That's the problem," Nikola mumbled. Helen, busy taking off her stocking, didn't hear him, but James met his gaze with an exasperated look of his own.

***

Helen settled against the back of the chair, her foot in Nikola's hands. Her friend was kneeling near her legs, his eyes still pleading with her to change her mind.

"It's quite all right, Nikola," she told him in a soothing voice.

He briefly closed his eyes, and then met her gaze again, before lowering his head to her foot.

***

Nikola bit down slowly, sinking his teeth into the delicate skin of Helen's foot. Her warm blood immediately coated his tongue, the tang of iron overwhelming. He drank more deeply, a rush of delicious excitement coursing through him. His arousal increased and he wished he were biting her on the neck as they joined intimately.

***

It had hurt at first. Despite the continued sting, she was mesmerized by Nikola's face. His eyes were closed. He looked blissful, seemingly both relaxed and tense at the same time.

She glanced at James, and he raised a questioning eyebrow at her, shifting the gun in his hand. She briefly shook her head. Nikola wasn't acting as if he had lost control of himself. She reached out and raked her hand through his hair.

***

He could only think of the blood now. That was where his existence began and where it ended, in the sweet nectar trickling down his throat. All his senses were flooded with it; nothing else mattered.

Suddenly, something intruded in his world. A touch on his head. He struggled to remember what it meant.

"Nikola."

A voice reached his ear, gentle but full of power, and it hit him like a freight train launched at full speed. Helen! That was Helen he was biting. He released his hold on her and wrenched himself away from her.

***

James tensed as Nikola moved quickly. In the time it took him to point the weapon at the vampire, Nikola was already sitting on the floor, about three feet away from Helen, blood running down his chin, his claws scratching the floor.

James adjusted his aim, ready to fire if Nikola moved again.

***

"Nikola," Helen called.

"Helen, you ought to take care of your wound and stop the bleeding," James said.

They watched as Nikola ran his tongue over his lips, bringing one of his clawed hands to wipe at his chin, and then licking his hand.

Helen stood up gingerly, careful not to put too much pressure on her wounded foot.

At her movement, Nikola jumped to his feet. And James fired.

***

"What happened?" Nikola asked groggily after waking up, rapidly deducting he was in bed. His head was pounding, an extremely rare occurrence since he had become part-vampire.

"I shot you," James replied from nearby.

"How much sleeping drug is there in those darts anyway?"

"Enough to bring down the largest of abnormals and keep them asleep for transport."

Nikola swept the room with his eyes.

"Where's Helen?" he asked, worried.

"She's fine. The wound on her foot isn't serious. It may scare badly though."

***

Nikola looked crestfallen at the pronouncement.

"We've given you a triple dose of your medication, just to be safe," James continued.

Nikola nodded and sank back against the pillows in relief.

"James, could you leave now?"

James quietly acquiesced, noting the shame on Nikola's features.

***

She knocked softly on the door of Nikola's room. He might still be sleeping off the drug after all.

"Enter."

She turned the knob and slipped inside the room.

"Helen, I'm so sorry," he began immediately. He was standing near the window and had just turned toward her.

"No, Nikola. I should have listened to you, trusted that you know yourself well enough, that you know the limits of your self-control," she apologized as she walked closer to him.

"Helen," he breathed. "If James hadn't been here, if he hadn't been such a good shot, you'd be dead by now. I couldn't live with myself if…"

She moved to hug him when he choked on his words, his eyes brimming with unshed tears, shining in the sliver of moonlight coming through the window. A few tears rolled down her own cheeks as they held onto each other tightly.

"I need you to be around for as long as I live," she whispered to him in the dark of night.

"I know. Nigel and eventually James will go on. But we need each other, even if you find me aggravating sometimes."

"Most of the time," she amended with a smile, a mirror to his own.

She stepped out of his arms but, keeping her hands on his shoulders, she leaned toward him and quickly brushed her lips against his own. He didn't even have time to respond before she moved away.

"Good night, Nikola."

***

He watched as she walked out of his room then turned back to look out the window at the night sky. He had his dreams, his ambitions, his plans, but he needed Helen to be his one constant.


End file.
